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Wakefield MMR Constroversy

No topic has caused more discussion, controversy, and social upheaval within human society than vaccinations. The anti-vaccination movement predates Edward Jenner's introduction of the smallpox vaccination in 1796.

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, along with 12 other colleagues, published an article in the British medical journal The Lancet. Titled "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children," suggested a possible correlation between the MMR vaccination and the onset of ASD.

The Wakefield article significantly influenced the modern discourse on vaccinations and immediately had a profound impact on vaccination rates. The MMR vaccination rate in the England and Wales dropped from 91.8% to 81%. In London, the coverage rate has fallen to less than 60%. In Ontario in August 2024 25 confirmed cases of measles were reported in Ontario in 2024.

The prevalence and incidence of early-onset dementia among adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Vivanti, G., Tao, S., Lyall, K., Robins, D. L., & Shea, L. L. (2021). The prevalence and incidence of early-onset dementia among adults with autism spectrum disorder. Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 14(
he prevalence and incidence of early-onset dementia among adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is currently unknown. In this case-control study, the prevalence and incidence of early-onset dementia in individuals with ASD was examined during 2008 – 2012 using Medicaid Analytic eXtract files. Participants were 30–64 year-old adults who were Medicaid beneficiaries and had either a diagnosis of ASD only (n=12,648), a diagnosis of ASD with co-occurring Intellectual Disability (n=26,168), a diagnosis of ID without ASD (n=406,570), or no ASD nor ID diagnoses (n=798,828). The 5-Year prevalence of dementia was 4.04% among adults with ASD only, and 5.22% for those with ASD and co-occurring ID. This prevalence was higher compared to the prevalence of dementia in individuals with no ASD and no ID (0.97%), but lower compared to individuals with ID only (7.10%). Risk factors associated with the increased prevalence in the general population were similarly associated with the increased risk of dementia in individuals with ASD. Even after adjusting for these risk factors, compared to the general population, dementia was found to occur more frequently in individuals with ASD only (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.96; 95% CI, 1.69–2.28), as well as individuals with ASD and co-occurring ID (adjusted hazard ratio, 2.89; 95% CI, 2.62–3.17). In conclusion, adults with ASD under the age of 65 were approximately 2.6 times more likely to be diagnosed with dementia compared to the general population in our study.